Control switch circuits for automobiles



June 9, 1931. R. K. WINNING 1,309,434

CONTROL SWITCH CIRCUITS FOR. AUTOMOBILES Original Filed Aug. 16, 1922 Q1KW mw%7/md Patented June 9, 1931 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERTWINNINQOF WAUWATOSA, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO CLUM MANUFACTUR- IN'GCOMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN CONTROLSWITCH CIRCUITS FOR AUTOMOBILES Original application filed August 16,

This invention relates to control switch circuits for automobiles andmore especially to a switch of the dashboard type such as is commonlyemployed for controlling the lighting and ignition circuits of themachine. fiThe object of the invention is to provide a dashboard switchin which the movements of a single handle or lever may control all ofthe electrical circuits including the ignition and the bright and dimheadlights, as well as the tail light.

This is a division of application Serial No. 582,210, filediAugust 16,1922, now Patent No. 1,746,626, patented Feb. 11, 1930.

' Prior to this invention it has been the usual practice to provideseparate switches for the lighting and ignition-circuits of automobiles,the latter of which is usually provided with a suitable lock forpreventing the unauthorized turning of the switch and useof the vehicle.This practice necessitates the duplication of numerous parts, and wherea tail lampis employed for parking purposes, frequently aseparate switchis provided therefor. It is the primary object of this invent'iontherefore to provide a switch which will combine in one structure all ofthe functions so far performed by the two or moreseparate switches, aswas above disclosed.

'.In the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate likeparts in all the views:

v Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a switch madein accordancewith the present invention, illustrating thesame as applied the rearcontact bearing plate of the switch omitted to illustrate more clearlythe interior construction of the switch; and,

Figure 5 is a wiring diagram illustrating the switch constituting thepresent invention 1922, SerialNo. 582,210. Divided and this applicationfiled April 24, 1928. Serial No. 272,468.

connected in the ignition and lighting circuits of an automobile.

In the said drawings, the numeral 6 designates a casing or housing ofsheet metal or other suitable material which is preferably cylindricalin form, and which is provided with a flange 7 to which is secured, asby the screws or bolts 10, the flange 8 of the sheet metal or othercover member 9. A lever or handle member 11 is provided with a stud orpivot 12 which is ournalled axially in the said cover member 9, as willbe clear from Figs. 1 and 2, and which carries a stamped metalcup-shaped member 18 within which is mounted an insulating plate or disc14. The said member 13 is provided with turned cover cars 15 whichengage the said insulating disc 14 to retain the same in place, as willbe readily apparent.

Secured to the said insulating disc 14, as by the shouldered studs 17,is a metallic contact member 18. The said member 18 is preferably formedof resilient stamped sheet metal and is normally forced outwardly awayfrom the surface of the disc 14 by small coiled springs 19, one end ofwhich seat in recesses 20 in the disc 14 and the other ends of whichseat in recesses formed by the protuberances, to be presently described.

The contact member 18 is preferably shaped substantially as illustratedin Figure 4, and is provided with a plurality of substantiallyhemi-spherical protuberances 21, 22, 23 and 24, which form movablecontact points for engagement with other contact members to be presentlydescribed.

The casing 6 has secured to it the rear insulating disc or block 25which serves not only to close the rear face of the said casing, butalso to carry'a plurality of stationary contact members 26, 27, 28, 29,and 31, arcuately spaced around the said disc or plate 25, substantiallyas shown in Figs. 3 and 5.

The arcuate distance between each of the members 26, 27, 28, and 29, aswell as between the members 30 and 31, is approximately degrees, whilethe arcuate distance between the members 26 and 31 is approximately 80degrees, and the distance between the members 29 and 30 is approximately120 de 7 ed on their innersurfaces *ith depressions 32,

adapted to form seats for the protuberances of the contact member 18whereby the latter member may be accurately positioned and 'held, aswill be readily apparent. i The inner surface of the plate or disc iprovided with similar depression 33, 3.4, and 35, the depression 33being spaced midway between the contact members 26 and 31 and thedepressions 34 and being equi-distantly spaced between the contactmembers 29 and 30, as will be clear from Figure 5. These last nameddepressions 33, 34 and 35 serve as seats for certain of thepro-tuberances of the contact member 18 when the latter is-in certainpositions, and serve to further hold the said member 18 in its desiredposition.

' The contact members 26 and 27 are bridged or connected together byametal strip 36, whilethe contact members 28 and 29 are connectedtogether by a metal strip 37, and the contact members 30 and 31 areconnected together by a resistanceunit 38. V

The insulating disc25 is further provided with the contact screw 43which is provided with a spring clip 41 for receiving one end of a fuse42,the other endof which is held in a spring clip '43 rigid with thecontact member 26, as will be clear from Figs. Sand 5.

Thesaid' contact screw 40 is connected by nieansof a wire 44 to one sideof a battery 45, the other side of which is grounded in the usual manneras by. the wire 46.. The contact member 29 is connected as by the wire4'? to the component parts of the ignition circuitof the machine, thecontact member 30 is connected as by the wire 48 to one side ofthe taillight 49, the other side of 'which is grounded as'by the wire 50, andthe contact member 31 is connected bythe wire 51 to one side of theheadlights 52, the other sides of which are grounded by the wire 53 inthe usual manner.

The casing 6 of the switch is provided with a pair of ears 55 which maybe stamped therein and which are adapted to be engaged byan arm 57 rigidwith the stud 12 and movable switch member 13, as is clearly shown inFigs. 2 'and'4, for the purpose of limiting the oscillation of theswitch handle 11. The face of the cap 9 is provided with suitableindications 58, while the handle 11 may likewisebe provided with a markor other indication 59, adapted to coast with the indications 58 to showthe positions occupied by the movable contact member 18. i V

- The operation oi the switch will be clear from the foregoing-but itmay be briefly summariZed as follows.

Then the switch handle 11 isin the posi tion illustrated. in Figurel allcircuits are 28, 34, and 31. Sinceno portion of the contact member 18 isin engagement with either of-the contact members 26 and 27, currentfromthe battery 25 cannot flow past the'said contact members 26 and 27,and therefore the ignition and all lights are off.

However, should the switchliandle 11 be moved in a clockwise direction,as seen in Figure 1, until the indicating' mark 5.9 is opposite theindication IGN on the face of the'cap 9 such movement will cause the'protuberances 24, 23,22, and 21 to engage respectively the contactmembers or-depressions' 26, 29, 35, and 25, thereby letting the currentfrom the battery flow through the wire 46 to the fuse contact member 26,thence along the contact member 18 to the contact member 29 and wire 47to the ignition circuit. When in this position the ignition is on andall lights are still oii.

Should the switch lever be moved still the indicating mark 59' isopposite the indication HI, then the various protuberances 24, 23, 22,and 21 will bemoved toengage respectively the contact membersor depressions 31, 27, 29, and 30, thus completing both the ignition circuit andthe circuit through the wire 51 to the headlights 52 and tail light 29.In as much'as one of the protuberances 24 is now engaging the contactmember31, the resistance coil-38 is short-circuited and the headlightsv52 will receive the flow of current, thereby'causing them to bebrilliantly lighted. i

Should it be wished to'dim these lights for city driving, the handle 11is moved still further in a counterclockwise direction until the mark 59is opposite the indication D .I, V

35, which will cause the current to: flow through the coil 38 beforereaching the wire 31, and thus interpose its resistance between i thebattery 45 and the headlights 52 with a consequent dimming of thelatter. It will be noted thatwhen in this position the ignition circuitis still on and the tail lightis also on. V

If desired, of course, a suitable lockmay be incorporated inthe switchto prevent, its being turned by unauthorized persons.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction as'well as the arrangement ofparts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention and therefore it is not wished to be limitedto the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with ignition and lighting circuits in an automobileand a battery adapted to supply current for said circuits, of a supportproviding terminals in a common plane and in a common arcuate series,said terminals being operatively connected with said battery and withsaid several circuits, and a single switching element oscillatable withreference to said support and provided with electrically connectedcontacts adapted selectively to register with said terminals and in itsseveral positions to establish various connections between said batteryand said circuits.

2. The combination with ignition and lighting circuits in an automobileand a battery adapted to supply current to said circuits, of a switchhaving terminals arranged in a common arcuate series and in a commonplane and respectively connected with said battery and with saidcircuits, there being a plurality of lighting circuits and acorresponding number of terminals, and an oscillatable contacting devicecomplementary to said terminals and provided with electrically connectedcontacts adapted in the several positions of the said device selectivelyto establish connection between said battery and said several circuits.

3. In an automobile electrical system, the combination with atransformer and spark gap and a conductor leading thereto, a set oflights and a conductor leading thereto and a battery and a conductorleading therefrom, of a switch controlling electrical communicationbetween said several conductors and provided with terminals operativelyassociated with respective conductors and substantially in a commonplane, said switch including a movable contact element adapted in one ofits positions selectively to connect said battery conductor alone withsaid conductor leading to said transformer and spark gap, in anotherposition being adapted to connect said battery conductor with a lightconductor, and in third position being adapted to connect said batterysimultaneously with a light conductor and said first mentionedconductor.

4. In the electrical system of an automobile, the combination with anignition conductor, a battery conductor and a lighting conductor, of asingle set of fixed terminals arranged in arcuate series in a commonplane and including terminals respectively connected with said severalconductors, one terminal being directly connected with said lightingconductor and a second terminal being resistance coupled with saidlighting conductor, and a single set of electrically connected movableterminals oscillatable on an axis normal to said plane and adaptedselectively to connect said lighting conductor, said, ignitionconductor, or both, with said battery conductor.

5. In the electrical system of an automo bile, the combination with anignition conductor, a battery conductor and a lighting conductor, of asingle set of fixed terminals arranged in arcuate series in a commonplane and including terminals respectively connected with said severalconductors, a first terminal being directly connected with said lightingconductor and a second terminal being resistance coupled with saidlighting conductor, and a single set of electrically connected movableterminals oscillatable on an axis normal to said plane and adaptedselectively to connect said lighting conductor, said ignition conductor,or both, with said battery conductor, and selectively to connect saidbattery conductor with the said first and second lighting terminals ofsaid lighting conductor, the spacing of the relatively fixed and movableterminals and their respective connections being such that said batteryconductor will be connected with said ignition conductor in each of aplurality of positions in which a connection is established between saidbattery conductor and one of said lighting terminals.

6. In the electrical system of an automobile, the combination withignition, battery and lighting conductors; of a switch comprising ninearcuately arranged stations in a common plane; a first, second, thirdand fourth of said stations comprising terminals and a seventh andeighth of said stations comprising additional terminals; conductorsconnecting the terminals at the first and second stations and at thethird and fourth stations, said conductors being in operativeelectricalconnection respectively with said battery and ignitionconductors, a resistance connecting the terminals at the seventh andeighth stations, said lighting conductor being connected with theterminal at the eighth station; and a movable contact elementoscillatable with respect to said terminals and provided with contactsadapted to register with selected terminals in the various positions ofsaid elements, there being contacts spaced apart the distance betweentwo consecutive stations on one side of said element and contacts spacedapart the distance between three consecutive stations on the other sideof said element, all of said contacts being in electrical connection.

7 In the electrical system of an automobile, the combination withignition, battery and lighting conductors; of a switch comprising ninearcuately arranged stations in a connecting the terminals at the firstand sec- 7 0nd stations and at the third and fourth stations, saidconductors being inoperative electrical Connection respectively Withsaid batteryand ignition conductors, a resistance connecting theterminals at the seventh and eighth stations, said lighting conductoi'be- 111;; connected with the terminal atthe' eighth station;an-additionallighting conductor connected with the terminal at theseventh station; and a movable contact element oscillatable with respectto said terminals and provided with contacts adapted to register withselected terminals in the various positions of said elements there beincontacts s aced 7 D apart the distance between tWo consecutive stationson one-side of said element and contacts spaced apart the distancebetween three consecutive stations on the other side of said element,all of said contacts being in electrical connection.

' ROBERT K. WINNING.

